Tonight you can listen to World Music from West and North Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
Issa Sow & Goree.
A band from Senegal, West Africa, that combines modern music genres with traditional rhythms in an exceptional manner. Under the artistic direction of Issa Sow, western music streams like Reggae, Funk and Hiphop are being mixed outstandingly with Afro-beat. Lead singer Issa Sow is being accompanied by musicians who play both traditional as well as western instruments.
CD: ‘Sam Jaay’ by Issa Sow & Goree.
Label: Mermaid (2003). video 
Charivari Trio.
They play American folk music as well as dance music from the Balkan, gypsy and Klezmer music. The combination of a classical background with a passion for folk music is what gives this trio their characteristic sound.
CD: ‘Romance de Barrio’ by the Charivari Trio. Label: Music & Words (1996), code: MWIC8000.
website
Ali Bahia El Idrissi.
One of the most successful ‘new age’ musicians from Morocco. He is especially well-known because he combines traditional singing like ‘sufi’ with modern instruments like ‘samplers’. This results in a beautiful combination of hypnotic ‘orient groove’ with modern ‘ambient’ and ‘beats’. Michel Banabila is co-writer and producer of the album.
CD: ‘Arhil’ by Bahia El Idrissi.
Label: Boutique Recordings (2000),code: bou-3.video
Salomon Klezmorim.
‘First Klez‘ is a pleasant mixture of traditional European style Klezmer with some jazzy influences. The album contains ‘medleys’ of traditional melodies alternated by Jewish stories and legends.
CD: ‘First Klez’ by Salomon Klezmorim
Label: Syncoop (1991), code: 5752 CD 136.audio/video
New Cool Collective.
The fifth album of the New Cool Collective is fresh and exciting with a mixture of very danceable soul and jazz with a little bit of Latin flavour. On one cd of this double album, the guest musician is the grand Afro-drummer Tony Allen. The result is jazz with a Carribean sauce and an occasional Afrobeat.
CD: ‘Trippin’’ by the New Cool Collective.
Label: Dox Records (2005), code: DOX016. websitevideo
Magic Fingers.
This band finds its roots in the ‘Multy Jam’ in the Volksbuurtmuseum of The Hague (‘working-class quarter’ museum). The musicians come from Cameroon, Suriname, Morocco and the Netherlands and they make their own form of World Music or better African Music. Lead singer & guitar player Derk Groen, also arranger and composer, is the big man behind the project. On this album he knows how to play the ‘juju’ guitar with great smoothness in the style of Nigerian singer-songwriter King Sunny Adé.
CD: ‘Two Worlds, One Beat’ by Magic Fingers.
Label: Stichting Hoela (2003), code: Hoela-1.website
Farida.
In the classical tradition of Iraq the ‘Maqam’ is being sung. Maqam is a particular singing style which entails a broad range of emotions. Farida Mohammad All expresses this singing style on the album ‘Departure’ (Iraqi songs of love and longing). Farida has lived in the Netherlands for a long time, where she built a solid reputation. And despite the requests to sing a new repertoire, further adjusted from the Middle East, she keeps the Iraqi musical tradition alive.
CD: ‘Departure‘ (Iraqi songs of love and longing) by Farida.
Label: Solyluna Records (2001), code: sol cd 9152.website
Paris.
Modern recordings of the French classical ‘Chanson’. Artists who interpret the chanson with a personal, contemporary look and feel. The samba is more prominent, with singing acoustic guitars and a tribute to Astrud Gilberto (the Brasilian samba & bossa nova singer). You hear heartache, desire and sometimes complete insanity which is inherent to the lyrics and emotional quality of the vocals.
CD: Paris. Label: Putumaya (2006), code: PUT 249-2. website video 
Jean Blanchard.
A new edition of the 1977 album ‘Accordéon Diatonique’ by Jean Blanchard. The bagpipe tradition from the middle of France has been thoroughly studied by Jean Blanchard. Besides working with various bands, Blanchard played together with more than 400 musicians at the same time. He also formed the ‘Quintet of Bagpipes’ and the ‘Big Bagpipe Band’, an orchestra of viols (predecessor of the violin) and Cornamuse.
CD: ‘Accordéon Diatonique’ by Jean Blanchard.
Label: Music & Words (2000), code : MWCD4029.video
